Minor Setback
by Mentally Hilarious
Summary: Phenomena occurs on an away mission. While retrieving the captain the crew is surprised to find that he has been shrunk. Spock is determined to help Jim return to his natural size since being smaller than a tribble makes it difficult to run a ship. K/S
1. Bad Day Different Result

Usually Spock is always suspicious and tense whenever they receive no response from a ship-to-ground-crew hailing. Almost always it's a brief interference from the atmosphere and good gracious how Scotty wished that were the case this time as he rushed down to the transporter pad.

"Get them back," Spock ordered after Uhura's 3rd hailing was met with near silence. The only sound that came through sounded like something being dragged through sand and leaves. Whatever it was, it wasn't the crew confirming their well being and Spock took that as an immediate sign to withdraw from this mission. The Vulcan's heart beat a little faster at the thought of his captain being in danger down there but he held steady as he sat tall in the chair and began sounding off orders over the chair's comm station.

A bead of sweat ran down Scotty's temple as he quickly worked the transporter console while Spock's voice came over comm system to alert the crew to clear a path to the medbay. Scotty could hear them calling Doctor McCoy as his mind buzzed to quickly find a way to get their missing crew away from the planet's surface.

"Sc-... Scotty!" Kirk's voice crackled over the comm, making the Engineer's heart flutter with relief until he heard the crack in his captain's voice. "Get... Sulu... the others. They go first. I'll... hold them back!"

"B-but, Sir!"

"Do it!"

The Scotsman almost wanted to sigh at his captain's pigheadedness but he had no time for that now. As soon as Scotty got a lock on their signals he began the process of energizing the persons Kirk had previously indicated. The particles of the landing crew were just becoming visible when Captain Kirk's voice shouted through the comm again.

"Did you get them? Are they up?" Phaser fire and animal like screeching could be heard alongside the voice of Captain Kirk.

McCoy and Chapel walked through the door just as the crew's anatomy had stabilized and were fully solid. Sulu was first to fall to the floor as well as one other ensign, causing McCoy to rush forward with his scanner.

"Aye sir! They're up!" Scotty confirmed, fingers poised over the controls, waiting Kirk's order to be beamed up.

"Good! Now wait for my signal!" One more phaser shot was heard.

"Aye sir!"

The other two crewman on the pad swayed on their feet, slightly dazed though not seeming to have gotten any serious injuries. Righting themselves, they looked to McCoy, unsure what to do.

"Well don't just stand there! Help me get them to sickbay!" McCoy told Chapel to escort them out and that he would head down as soon as their Captain had transported up. The doctor walked over to the comm and called up Spock.

"McCoy to bridge" was his gruff greeting.

"Spock here. Is the landing crew out of danger?"

McCoy heard no sign of worry in the Vulcan's voice, save for the slight hurry in his tone, but knew he was asking if Kirk was up yet. "All except the captain. He's still down there."

A pause. "Very well. I will be down shortly. Spock out."

McCoy looked to Scotty who seemed to be getting a little worried as he looked over his console and began pressing a few buttons. The doctor knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Something's wrong?" McCoy asked in haste as he quickly stepped over to the console. Spock walked in a few minutes later and quickly made his way over to the two men, knowing there was a complication judging by the look on Scotty's face. The engineer did not normally falter easily.

"The captain's signal is actin' strange! I lose it and then it comes back!" Spock looked over the screen and furrowed his brow. No technology on this planet could block their instruments. The commander stepped over at another console and quickly checked for any outer disturbances, such as an ion storm, but nothing came up.

McCoy tried the comm again. "Jim! Where are you?"

No reply. Not even any background noise. McCoy growled the same message again, frustrated with his friend, but the results were the same. Suddenly Scotty got a lock on Kirk's signal again and turned to Spock who nodded.

"He could be unconscious and in grave danger. We do not want to risk losing his signal again. Energize."

Scotty acted without hesitation and pressed the necessary buttons to beam up the captain. The three men watched in anticipation as the particles swirled on the pad, but something was wrong. They were not gathering up the right size. They were low to the floor, as if only wanting to solidify a pair of feet. Scotty toggled a few switches but when the swirling stopped he didn't see Kirk, though his console indicated a successful beam up.

McCoy stared at the empty space as if looking for an invisible Jim.

"Well? Where is he?" He threw up his hands in irritation. Spock glanced down on the floor and pointed to something on the pad.

"There, Doctor."

Scotty and McCoy looked where Spock indicated and gasped.

It was a torn piece of Kirk's shirt lying on the floor, a slight bump protruding from underneath it. Spock approached it first since he was not dumbfounded by the sight before them. That was human reaction which he was not capable of. He bent down and removed the cloth, gently picking up the small mass. It was an unconscious Kirk, naked, and only six inches tall.

"Doctor" McCoy quickly went over and scanned Kirk, eyes watching his tricorder and glancing at the unbelievable size of his friend. Scotty could only gaze in disbelief and confusion.

"It says he's fine, just knocked out with a few scratches on his arm. No serious threat to his life…"

Spock looked over the small man. His face was a healthy color. No limbs missing…that was good. Spock grabbed the shirt piece and proceeded to wrap Jim's lower half with it.

"To sickbay then, Doctor?"

McCoy just nodded, seeming unable to express his jumbled thoughts in words.

"Yeah. Get him to sickbay."


	2. Tiny Captain Big Deal

Face placed in his hands, McCoy sat at his desk as his mind whirred to process the current situation. If his internal conscious wasn't enough, he certainly had a certain Vulcan to keep his nerves on a steep grind. Gritting his teeth, McCoy tried to keep from snapping as Spock paced in front of his desk.

"Doctor, this is hardly an efficient use of time. The captain-"

"Is the problem and I honest don't have a solution yet." McCoy leaned back in his chair, looking up at Spock. "I can't fix him! I don't know what's wrong with him and all his stats from the computer say he's fine." McCoy sighed and stood up, pacing the room now. Pausing beside the desk, Spock's eyes followed him.

"Then what do you suggest?" he said simply, not wanting to aggravate McCoy further with accusations of laziness (because McCoy wasn't being lazy, yet acting defeated didn't help either). In another situation he may find a bit of amusement from an argument with him, but not now. This situation is too serious for that.

McCoy stopped pacing, staring at the door. "Scotty says everything checks out with the transporter. No blaming the damned machines this time." Spock raised an eyebrow. Of course one would assume the transporter did the deed, but if the head of engineering says nothing is wrong with it then the fault must lie elsewhere. "I think it may have happened on the surface. Before Kirk got pulled up. Maybe the planet's residents caused it."

It seemed doubtful but there were little other options to think of. What else could have caused this? "Them? Could they possess a device capable of doing something like this?" The Vulcan glanced in the direction of the door, thinking of the man on the other side, out there on a biobed all by himself. Whoever did this will surely be facing Spock's boot although he is grateful the situation did not turn out worse.

Offering a simple shrug, McCoy rubbed his eyes in frustration. "I don't know how they did it or even _if_ they did it. I just know it happened. For all we know this could be _temporary._ How or why is beyond-"

"Excuse me?" Nurse Chapel was standing by the door, smiling politely at Spock and then quickly turning towards McCoy.

"Yes Nurse Chapel, what is it?" McCoy asked, ignoring the nurse's glances at Spock.

"Captain Kirk is beginning to wake up," she said.

McCoy nodded to her. "Thank you nurse. I'll be there in a second." Chapel nodded as well and with a sympathetic look to Spock, she was out the door.

The doctor turned to Spock. "Shall we?" He said, gesturing toward the door.

"Of course." Spock quickly stepped outside of the office and followed McCoy toward the one bed that had the curtains pulled around it. Spock pulled them back a bit to allow McCoy and himself to step inside. Once inside the doctor checked the captain's readouts one more time before he saw the small man stir.

Kirk was still wrapped in his torn shirt, due to the ship not being equipped with clothing for doll-sized people. The blond moved his arm to his face and rubbed his eyes before slowly sitting up. His friends held their breath as his eyes blinked open.

"I never liked these beds. Too uncomfortable." Kirk looked up at McCoy who only stared at his friend, still doubting this whole situation was real.

"Bones?" Kirk asked in disbelief as he stood up, the strip of cloth falling down. Kirk looked down at himself and picked up the cloth. The patterns looked too big. This couldn't be his. He quickly looked around the bed and noticed its size; had they always been big enough for fifty people? Kirk turned to glare up at McCoy as if he was the cause of all this; Kirk didn't like pranks unless he was the one doing them. "I want to know what's going on!" Maybe the doctor had slipped him some drug that was causing him to see things. Hopefully.

McCoy was about to speak but Spock beat him to it.

"We beamed you up from the planet's surface like this. We do not know the cause of your…condition." Spock gazed at his captain, unfazed by the glare he received.

"That's it? That's all you can tell me?" The two taller men glanced at each other, before looking back to their captain, clearly without further answers at the moment. Kirk's gaze softened, knowing that his two best friends wouldn't try to keep anything from him. He sat back down and covered his lower half again. He stared at the bed and sighed.

"So what am I supposed to do?" He looked back up at his friends hopefully. Spock felt his heart sink upon seeing the look on Jim's face. Not having the answers his friend needed truly pained him.

"We don't know, Jim," McCoy said solemnly.

Kirk looked away, crestfallen. He doesn't remember what happened before he was beamed up. He just remembers his crew getting to safety while he distracted the attackers.

"Does anyone from the landing party remember anything?" Kirk did not meet his friends eyes.

"Mr. Sulu said you had ran toward a body of water. A lake I believe. After that, you were out of sight because you instructed them to keep running." Spock stated simply. Kirk's brow furrowed; he was trying to remember what happened.

"I think…one of those things pinned me…after that moment, everything goes black." Growling a little at his own terrible memory, Jim grabs fistfuls of the fabric, squeezing and twisting it as he tried to think harder.

McCoy only nodded, not knowing what else to say or do.

"I will assume command until we can return you to your natural size," Spock stated after a moment, hands resting behind his back. Kirk quickly shot up at that, ready to protest.

"WHAT? Just because I'm small-"

"Jim!" McCoy cut in. "How do you expect to run a ship like this? I can't have you running around when someone could step on you! Besides, you can't even reach the command chair."

Kirk glared again. "Yes I can!" He hated sounding like such a child, but this is HIS ship! No one was taking it from him!

"Captain. It is best I take command. We will continue to investigate ways to amend the situation." McCoy nodded in agreement and turned to Spock.

"Should I keep him here until then or-"

"I want to be in my quarters," Kirk said sternly. No way was he staying in Sickbay for who knows how long.

Spock nodded, not wanting to stress out Jim more than he already was. "Very well. I shall take you then." Spock lowered his hand next to Kirk, allowing him to climb on by himself. He doubted the captain would appreciate being handled like a doll when conscious. Kirk kept his shirt scrap wrapped around himself as Spock lifted him.

"WAIT?" McCoy and Spock were about to leave but stopped at Kirk's sudden outburst. "How will I use the bathroom if I can't even reach my chair?"

McCoy snorted. "Perhaps a litter box, Jim."


	3. Tribble Trilling

He had spent many nights pouring over paper work on this desk, but now he was standing on top of it like a paperweight as Spock and Yeoman Rand towered above him. Rand is equipped with a measuring tape, discussing with Spock how they might go about making Jim a uniform or at least something to wear (besides a scrap of his shirt) for the time being. Of course they only got this far in 20 minutes because she spent about 10 minutes being shocked at the sight of him. Then another 10 fussing over how "cute" he was.

Still holding her conversation with Spock, she turned to Kirk and prodded him with her index finger to direct his arms up so that she could measure his waist. He could have sworn she had already measured that. Twice.

"Yes sir, Scotty says he may be able to alter a replicator and have it make a uniform in the captain's _current_ size," she told Spock as she prodded Kirk some more.

Withdrawing the cold, plastic tape, she stood beside Spock as he recorded the measurements in a message on his PADD to be sent to the engineer. Kirk quickly picked up his shirt scrap and wrapped it around his waist before Janice could get another look at him. Smiling innocently, turned back to Spock.

"Sir, if Scotty is unable to get a proper set of clothes out for him, I don't mind making him a set by hand," she offered kindly. Spock didn't look up from his PADD but nodded his approval.

"If Mr. Scott is unable to complete the task, I shall notify you." She turned to Kirk and smiled happily. Almost _excitedly_.

That smile seemed familiar.

He then remembered some of the many women he had been with. Them trying to stick around, do things for him. Make him breakfast, call or contact him in any way possible after that _one_ night. But this was ridiculous. He never slept with this woman, and had no intention to, yet she has been the most bent on serving him.

A mental note was made about having to have a chat with her later. Such "enthusiasm" over her captain could be seen as a distraction and he didn't want to have to transfer to schedule to a later shift.

"Yeoman Rand, you are excused," Spock said crisply after setting his PADD down next to Kirk. Once she was out of the room the small man breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately that relief was short lived.

"She will be checking up on you every thirty minutes. She is to provide you with any assistance that you may need." Kirk knew that Spock was implying that she is the one who is going to be helping him when he needs to use the restroom.

Well fuck that.

"You know, Bones' idea of a litter box-"

"Was not a serious suggestion and will not be treated as such. You are not a domesticated feline, Jim," Spock said with finality. There would be no more entertaining such a_ ridiculous_ idea. At least not with Spock.

"But _why _do I need a caretaker? I don't like the idea of someone waiting on me like that." Kirk crossed his arms. He took pride in his independence and there was so much he would be uncomfortable with while having someone tend to his needs like that.

Tilting his head to the side, Spock quirked an eyebrow. "I do not see any problem in having her assist you as she is our most efficient yeoman. Please elaborate as to what the issue is."

"Nothing. I just- Can't you just stack a pile of books for me to climb?"

The Vulcan shook his head. "Would you rather reside in Sickbay and have Doctor McCoy and Nurse Chapel look after you?"

"WHAT?" Kirk almost growled. "I'm not a baby! I can take care of-"

"Jim. You are six inches tall. How can you expect to get your daily tasks completed at this height?" Spock reasoned as best he could but he knew Jim would not simply accept his situation so easily.

His query was only met with something like a shrugging 5 year old, which did surprise his First Officer in how little of an argument that was. Spock extended his hand towards his friend, who climbed on and clutched his shirt as he sat down. Spock did not like the downcast look on his captain. Such a strong individual with high intelligence felt so reduced.

Spock felt the need to comfort his friend. Usually he'd allow McCoy to do the uplifting but right now his Captain needed as much reassurance as possible. "We shall return you to your previous form. Your crew are all putting in a great amount of effort. You must stay here and out of danger for your sake as well as theirs."

Obviously upset, not to mention his displeased emotions seeped through the touch, Spock gave in to his desire to comfort and reached his other hand up to brush a finger over Jim's soft golden hair. Blue eyes gave Spock a curious look, knowing his First Officer was particularly not fond of touching and only ever _tolerated_ it from Jim. He didn't dare question it though because right now he needed the comfort of another. Spock continued to gently rub his hair before Jim reached up one hand and stroked the side of Spock's finger with his knuckles.

It's terribly rare to share quiet moments with Spock, but this felt so _intimate_ and yet there was nothing wrong with it. It was endearing to see Spock make and effort like this on Jim's behalf. It didn't last too long though. Withdrawing his finger, Spock ignored the buzzing warmth in his hand as Jim sighed and looked down again.

The small man looked up curiously "What have you told the rest of the crew?"

Spock crouched and set his friend down on the floor. "Doctor McCoy has informed them of your…condition. They know that you are unable to perform your duty at this time."

Kirk frowned at that. "Are you telling them the whole truth or just telling them I'm not _available_?"

"If you want them to know-"

"That I'm six inches tall? Yeah! I would like them to know! I want them to be aware of what's going on! I don't want them left in the dark like that." Jim stopped himself and breathed deeply. He was getting worked up over nothing. He was just so stressed from the whole situation that any little negative detail seemed to only add to the headache.

"We did not lie. We merely excluded certain details. Mr. Sulu and the others were told not to say anything to anyone until further notice." Spock walked towards the door. "As I was saying before; if you want them to know, I will take you up to the bridge when our next shift starts so that you can tell them personally. I believe the Human phrase "seeing is believing" applies to this situation. For now you will stay here and rest." Spock quickly left after that, leaving Kirk to silently fume about being stuck in his own room. What harm could it do to run around his ship at this size?

* * *

Spock sat in his quarters meditating, or at least trying to. He kept wondering how such a strange occurrence could cause a person to shrink. He did not even know what caused it but he was so curious to find out. He was tempted to get to the science labs with his team and help them but he needed his meditation since he couldn't sleep and needed to focus. His mind wondered to Jim and how he was doing. Being so tiny and wondering if he will ever return to normal and be able to run the ship again. The ship and crew were his family but Star Fleet might remove his captaincy if he is unable to perform his duty.

The young Vulcan stood up from his place on the floor and went to change into his uniform. He needed to do something. To help in any way he could. He couldn't concentrate on meditating at a time like this. He needed Jim back to his original form. Just then his comm beeped. He strode over to the device and pressed the red button to answer.

"Spock, here," he said crisply.

"Rand, here. I'm sorry to interrupt your time, Sir, but I have a problem here,…uhhh," she trailed off, unsure how to continue. Spock waited patiently, though with some slight irritation that he would never admit to. "Sir I went to check on Captain Kirk and his door was wide open…" Spock's mind suddenly blanked. How did Jim open the door? "He's not there sir," she finally finished, a mix of fear and worry in her voice. Spock replied with an "Understood. Spock out." and then immediately called McCoy.

"What is it?" McCoy snapped. He obviously didn't like being woken up early.

"Jim has escaped his quarters and-" He was cut off by an angry shout from the doctor.

"Damn kid can't sit still for TWO MINUTES!" McCoy continued to rant but Spock interrupted.

"I will go search for him."

"Can't we just send out a message for everyone to look? I mean-"

"Jim wanted to tell them of his condition. If we let them know Jim is missing they will wonder how a _full grown male_ went missing on his own ship." Spock heard McCoy sigh deeply. "And having more crewmen mobilize will only increase Jim's danger of being crushed."

"Alright. I'll do what I can." McCoy said with a sigh.

"Spock out." The Vulcan quickly exited his quarters and made his way to Kirk's. Sure enough the door was wide open and Rand was looking under the bed.

"Are you positive he is not here?" Spock asked as he peered around the room.

"Yes. I've carefully cleaned up under the bed in case he was trying to hide in all the clutter but no luck. He couldn't hide anywhere else in here. I've checked. He's gone sir." She stood up to face her superior officer. Spock only nodded and dismissed her. "Luckily he took his new uniform," she mumbled, a bit put out from the fact that she didn't have to make it since the engineer was successful.

With once last glance around the room, ears carefully listening for any movement, Spock shook his head and left. He had just entered a turbolift when his communicator chirped. He flipped it open and heard Mr. Scott's rushed and frantic voice.

"Sir! My tribble is gone! Her cage was open and I don't know where she is! Sir, if she finds any food she will multiply faster than ten rabbits!" The Vulcan could tell Scotty was really worried. Tribbles were only allowed if they could be kept confined but if they multiplied then they had to be taken off the ship.

"Mr. Scott I understand your concern. Right now, Captain Kirk is missing as well. We will search for both."

"Aye sir."

Spock closed his communicator and stepped out of the 'lift. He was on his way to the bridge when his peripheral vision picked up a small, moving, object. He turned to see a fat brown tribble scooting along with a tiny figure on top of it. Spock approached it to see it was Kirk on the tribble; his bright yellow shirt contrasting quite well with the animal's fur. Jim had heard Spock's approaching footsteps and quickly turned his head and brought a hand up to shield his face. Spock raised a brow and recognized the human gesture as a way of (poorly) concealing ones' identity.

Highly illogical.

"Jim, I do not see how that would help you to hide from me for I do not know any other humanoids of your size." With that, Jim put his hand down before turning to Spock and pointing accusingly at him.

"You won't catch me!" Kirk said with a mock glare before encouraging the tribble to go faster. The fuzzy animal only purred soothingly and scooted along at its same, steady pace. Spock shook his head and crouched down to pick up Kirk and the tribble.

"How did you manage to escape your quarters and get all the way down to engineering to steal Mr. Scott's tribble?" Spock asked as he strode back to the 'lift.

Wiggling his fingers in an attempt to give himself a mystic appearance, Jim grinned wide. "Magic!" he exclaimed in a hushed tone.

Spock raised an eyebrow and entered the lift. "If you do not wish to tell me, then do not, but I refuse to believe in such an improbable thing as magic." laughing, Jim leaned back on the purring tribble. He pet it lightly as Spock commanded the 'lift to Sickbay. Jim suddenly looked panicked.

"Where are you taking me?" Spock faced forward, his face as unreadable as always.

"You obviously cannot stay in your quarters so I am taking you to Sickbay to be put in McCoy and Nurse Chapel's care." Kirk sputtered as he tried to come up with a way to appease the Vulcan.

"I won't leave again! I was just-" Spock stopped the 'lift and pierced Kirk with an icy stare.

"Putting yourself in danger? Jim, you are extremely fortunate that no one has seen you. Their reaction to seeing you like this might have caused chaos."

Kirk nervously rubbed the back of his neck "Well most of the main crew is still asleep…"

Spock made the 'lift continue to sickbay as Kirk crossed his arms and frowned. There was no changing the mind of his First.

"There you are!" McCoy was waiting for the 'lift but upon it's arrival his two friends showed up. The good doctor scooped up Jim and ignored the tribble. "I've a good mind to put you in a shoe box, Jim!" He strode to his office with Spock following close behind.

"Awww come on, Bones!" Kirk complained. "I wasn't hurting anybody!"

McCoy ignored the tiny man as he entered his office and closed the door behind Spock, who was subconsciously petting the tribble.

"Mr. Spock, I didn't know you had it in you," McCoy said with a small smirk when he noticed him petting the tribble. Spock briefly glanced at his hand that was on the tribble before lowering it to his side and gently placed the tribble on the doctor's desk.

McCoy quickly turned his attention back to Kirk. "Listen to me! I don't know why in God's name you would go out of your way to take Mr. Scott's tribble but I'm about to stop all of your shenanigans!" Kirk glared back as McCoy continued "I'm going to keep a round the clock eye on you! Nurse Chapel and I will personally see to it that you don't pull anymore crap! You hear me?" McCoy jabbed a finger at Kirk.

"Kind of hard NOT to when you and your dragon breath are in my FACE!" Came Kirk's sarcastic reply.

"Well guess what? Since you find being a jackass so much fun, you get to stay here in Sickbay, with me AND my dragon breath!" McCoy strode over to his desk and set Kirk on it before picking up the tribble and handing it to Spock.

"Take this to Scotty before he comes down here with a bad migraine." Spock took the tribble and nodded, though Kirk protested.

"No! Please leave her here! She's soft and calming!" McCoy only snapped at Kirk, who was pathetically reaching towards the far away fluff ball, and told him to quit being a big baby.

"I will be back for Jim at the start of our next shift" Spock said, completely ignoring the angry glares McCoy and Kirk were sending each other. "He wishes to personally let the crew know of his condition." McCoy grunted in understanding as he went about his office in search of something.

The Vulcan was almost out the door when he stopped to glance at Kirk, who stared back with a small pout. The 'puppy' face, McCoy called it. It made Spock's insides turn at the thought that his friend was now even more depressed at having to be contained in Sickbay. He strode out without a second look and told himself that it was for Jim's benefit that he be confined in safety.

Though he still did not like having to leave him there.


	4. Proximity Alert

"Chirps" Chekov confirmed when Uhura replayed the recording she had gotten from the planet's surface an hour ago. Uhura sighed and replayed it again hoping she could match the odd sounds to at least a few words from any of the many languages she knew. Once again the odd sounds played but she was unable to decipher any of it. Not even a simple pattern to discern.

"I'm sorry, Chekov." She patted the Russian's shoulder. "I woke you up for nothing." Chekov smiled sheepishly.

"It's no problem. I wasn't sleeping well anyway; too worried about Captain Kirk." Uhura nodded sadly and looked hopeless for a moment. "I am going back to bed," Chekov said as he turned to leave. "I suggest you do the same."

The turbo lift doors opened and shut with a soft hiss, leaving her in the quiet lab all alone. Frustrated, she hit a few buttons harder than necessary to turn off the console and left the dimly lit lab.

* * *

"Captain?" Spock asked as he peered into McCoy's office. The doctor was asleep at his desk, head buried in his arms. Next to him was a large salad bowl. Spock walked toward the desk and peered inside the bowl to see Jim sprawled out on a small cushion, snoring lightly. The Vulcan glanced at the sleeping doctor and then back at his captain. For some reason he didn't want to wake him but they only had 5 minutes to get to the bridge for the start of their shift.

He stuck his hand inside the bowl and gently prodded the small man's stomach, causing Jim to giggle in his sleep and bat his finger away. Instead of waking up, the small man simply rolled over and resumed snoring softly.

Spock gave the Vulcan equivalent of a sigh and tapped the doctor's shoulder. McCoy stirred for a second before raising his head and rubbing his tired eyes.

"Did he escape?" McCoy asked groggily as he sat up and stretched, causing a few loud pops from his back.

"No, Doctor. May I ask why you chose a bowl to confine him?" Spock asked as he stood up straight. McCoy rubbed his lower back and gave a pained look that led Spock to believe he had an ache.

"Glass bowl is too slippery to climb; too large to jump out of, and too dangerous to tip it over." McCoy finally stood up and yawned. "Thankfully he didn't feel like taking any more risks last night."

Spock nodded and glanced at the small sleeping form. "How do I wake him?" The doctor formed a somewhat evil grin on his face as he reached into his desk and pulled out a hypo. Holding it next to Jim, McCoy clicked the hypo to sound like he was loading a sedative.

"AH!" Jim shot up and looked around, eyes bugging out when he saw the giant hypo next to him. "NO!" Jim looked around the bowl to try and find a means of escape but only saw Spock.

SPOCK!

"GET ME OUT!" Jim reached toward Spock in desperation. McCoy laughed and put the hypo back in his drawer. Spock set his hand next to Jim who hurriedly climbed on. The half-Vulcan did not like the way McCoy had made Jim panic.

"He was not being serious," Spock said dryly, though McCoy raised a brow.

"I wasn't?" He asked innocently. Jim frowned at Bones before turning back to Spock with pleading eyes.

"Don't leave me here again? Please?" He clasped his hands together and placed them under his chin in a silent prayer.

"I'm sure we can find a more suitable arrangement," Spock said after a few moments of thought. "We will have to discuss this later. We are needed on the bridge now." The Vulcan began walking toward the door.

"Wait!" The doctor said. Spock stopped in front of the door and turned to McCoy.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"He needs to eat breakfast!" Spock looked down at Jim, who shrugged.

"It's okay. I can wait," Jim said. Spock shook his head.

"Doctor McCoy is correct. You require sustenance." Spock continued out the door and pretended not to hear McCoy's remark about the "damn kid and the hobgoblin". As soon as they entered the 'lift, Jim smiled up at Spock.

"Really. It's okay. I don't eat much anyway!" Spock stared at him for a moment, causing Jim to shrug in embarrassment.

"No. You require sustenance," he repeated. "I myself have not had the chance to eat either." Jim looked surprised.

"But you're usually up so early!"

Spock's cheeks turned a light green. "I was unable to rest last night." Jim looked down sadly.

"I'm sorry. I must have made you worry." Spock did not deny the statement, nor agree to it. Jim didn't expect him to. They stood in silence until the 'lift came to a stop. Spock peered out into the hallway and was thankful that only a few crewmen were roaming about. He cupped his hands to better hide his tiny captain and rushed to the mess hall. A few ensigns looked at the commander curiously but knew better than to ask questions.

Once inside the mess, Spock rushed to the nearest replicator and placed his order. Once the food was done he placed Jim on the tray and walked toward the back tables and sat in one nearest to the far corner. Spock glanced around to see if anyone noticed his odd behavior but was, again, thankful that there were few people around and no curious onlookers.

"Fruit?" Jim asked in disappointment as he eyed the fruit salad Spock had gotten.

"Yes. Since you cannot consume a whole meal by yourself I thought you would like to share mine." Spock picked up his fork and stabbed a strawberry and offered it to Jim. The small captain pulled the strawberry off the fork (with some effort) and set it down on the tray. He walked around it and then looked up at Spock.

"Can you cut it for me, please?" Jim asked. He would love to pry it apart with his hands but seeing as he was in the presence of a neat Vulcan, he wouldn't want to disgust his First Officer. Picking up his knife and fork, Spock moved to slice the strawberry. Jim stood back as his commander cut the strawberry into smaller pieces. Who would have thought that James T. Jim would need someone to cut his food for him at his age of 26?

Once the strawberry was in small bits, Spock returned to his own meal and began to eat. Jim picked up a small slice of strawberry (looked big, like a cut of watermelon in his hand) and bit into it, causing it to squirt red juice on his shirt. He frowned and looked down at the red stain.

"Please continue eating. A single stain is of little issue," Spock said simply and offered a few small slices of cantaloupe to Jim.

They ate their meal in silence and soon another being sat across from them.

"Good morning!" Scotty smiled at the two officers and noticed the captain's stained shirt. "Ah, I knew you'd be needing an extra." Scotty took two extra pairs of pants and shirts from his pocket and put them down next to Jim. "There you are," Scotty said with a smile. Jim swallowed his food and smiled brightly.

"Where would I be without you?" He asked in amazement at his chief engineer's fabulous timing. He quickly threw off his strawberry stained, gold shirt and put on a clean one.

"Naked as the day you were born I suppose….or maybe not shrunk in the first place." Scotty said glumly. Jim walked over to Scotty and patted his hand.

"We'll figure out what happened but it's not your fault!" He assured. Spock simply watched the two men interact as he finished off the last of his pineapple. He had to remind himself that hand-touching was not as intimate to humans as it was to Vulcans. Jim's hands on Scotty in a friendly fashion were that and nothing more. Why he was so concerned for Jim's proximity, he did not know.

"Captain, did you eat enough?" Spock asked as he gathered his tray to put away. Jim went over to Scotty's plate and took a small piece of bacon and munched happily.

"Yeah. Now I have." Jim said with his mouth full.

Spock gently picked up his captain and pocketed his spare clothes before he bid farewell to Scotty and exited the mess. In the lift together, Spock looked down at his tired Captain, heart sinking once more. This was all so stressful for everyone but most of all it wasn't boding well for his dear friend. Reaching out, Spock rubbed his index finger against Jim's hair again, pleased when his captain leaned toward the touch without question. Receiving Jim's pleased, calmer emotional transference, Spock's mind felt some ease, leaving him to unknowingly relax quite a bit.

"Are you purring?" Jim asked, snapping Spock from his thoughts and causing him to withdraw his finger.

The purring had stopped all together as well, though Spock refused to answer and simply waited until the doors opened before stepping out.

They made it to the bridge a few minutes late.

Spock looked down at the tiny form in his hands and gently placed him on the arm rest of the command chair.

Chekov turned to greet his commander when he noticed Jim. "What is that, sir?" Chekov asked as he squinted at the tiny form, unsure of what he was looking at. Sulu kept his attention on his console while everyone else leaned forward in their seats to get a better look.

"Captain Kirk," Spock said stiffly and glanced at his friend when many gasped and whispered among themselves. Chekov's eyes widened and he stood up and moved toward his captain.

"Captain?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Chekov. It's me," Jim said with a small smile. Everyone held their breath as Chekov picked him up in his hands and brought him close to his face to get a better look.

"You are so…CUTE!" Chekov rubbed his cheek against Jim and laughed. "I was so worried that you had been seriously injured, Sir!" Spock was about to intervene when it looked like Chekov was going to throw him in the air but was only raising him up for everyone to see.

"AH! CAREFUL!" Jim screamed as he clung to Chekov's thumb for dear life. The young ensign brought him down and smiled. Others began to filter from their stations but Spock did not like that.

"Resume your positions," Spock commanded. The women looked disappointed in not being able to hold the tiny man but the male officers seemed very curious. They all returned to their stations and Chekov made his move to do the same. He kissed Jim's head and placed him on the arm rest before sitting back down.

Uhura spoke up. "So how are we going to get him back to his…uhh correct size, sir?" She looked between Jim and Spock and wasn't sure if she saw Spock looking uncomfortable after Chekov had kissed the captain.

"We are working on that. This happened on the planet's surface. We assume there are beings that might have caused this." Spock looked at her as she bit her lip and turned back to her station.

"Last night I picked up something," Uhura admitted as she pulled up the recording file on her console. Spock quickly walked to her station and looked over her shoulder. "It's odd chirping and I couldn't tell what it was." She played the audio for all the bridge to hear. Jim suddenly screamed and gripped his skull. Spock rushed to him to kneel beside the chair.

"Are you ill?" Spock asked and put a protective hand around Jim to keep him from falling. Jim shook his head and mumbled something. Tears ran down his face as Spock turned to demand that someone call McCoy. Spock returned his attention to his friend. "Does it mean something to you?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Jim started shaking and he gritted his teeth. "They…don't want us here."


	5. Second Attempt

Jim shivered in Spock's palm as the Vulcan hurried to sickbay with McCoy close beside them. Upon arrival, McCoy had Spock place the captain on a bio-bed as he worked to get readouts.

"Damn thing says he's fine," McCoy growled at the tricorder. He put the machine away and looked at his friend. "What hurts?" He asked calmly, trying not to panic the small man further. Jim gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"M-my head. It hurts a lot," Jim growled as his body curled into a fetal position, hands still gripping his hair as pain pulsed in his skull. McCoy went for his hypos but Spock stopped him.

"He is in enough distress. Allow me." Spock reached for his captain and placed a gentle finger on the side of his head. Jim whimpered for a moment and then he closed his eyes and relaxed. McCoy furrowed his brow and looked up at Spock.

"What did you do?"

"A shallow meld so that I could calm his mind."

"Why didn't you do that before?"

"I wanted to be sure it would not be hazardous. Mind melds can be dangerous if the receiver is seriously traumatized." Spock looked down at his captain who was sleeping soundly, though a small whimper would sometimes sneak past his lips.

"Even in his sleep he hates to show weakness," McCoy said as he shook his head. He sighed and grabbed two chairs, knowing Spock would not like to leave Jim's side anytime soon. "So, what happened on the bridge?"

Spock took a seat and McCoy did the same. "Uhura was playing a recording she had taken from the planet's surface. It was an odd chirping sound that she was trying to decipher. Captain Jim suddenly started to panic when she played it." Spock eyes looked darker than usual as he gazed down at the floor. "He was in pain."

McCoy knew Spock was deeply concerned for his captain. He just didn't know how deeply.

"Listen, Spock. I know Jim is going get through this. We can find a way to fix this." McCoy looked away momentarily as he sighed. "I don't want you repeating this but," McCoy glanced around to make sure none of the nurses were nearby to eavesdrop. "I'm glad you're here to help him. I know I wouldn't have been enough support for him." Spock looked McCoy in the eyes, wondering if what had been spoken was true. McCoy didn't often, if _ever_, compliment Spock on anything. Said doctor huffed and crossed his arms. "Don't turn this into a soap opera." He grumbled.

"I assure you, doctor, I have no idea as to what you are referring to."

McCoy sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. Has your science team made any breakthroughs?" McCoy wanted to kick something when Spock shook his head. "Not even a hunch? I can't trace any disease or virus but surely-"

"I assure you, Doctor McCoy, that my team is working hard but the results suggest that Jim is unaffected, aside from the size difference." The Vulcan almost let out a sigh but the sickbay doors swooshed open just then. Spock and McCoy both looked to see Uhura standing by the doors looking guilty. She approached them and bit her lip when she saw the captain's current state.

"I am so sorry," Uhura said as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. Spock looked down at the floor while McCoy stood up and wrapped an arm around Uhura's shoulder.

"No need for apologies," Spock said as he stood up and turned to his captain.

McCoy nodded in agreement. "You were only doing your job." Spock heard Uhura sigh a bit as McCoy tried to comfort her.

"What should we do?" She asked. It took a few moments before Spock replied.

"Assemble a landing party." McCoy was about to protest but Spock turned to him and gave a look that said 'no room for argument'. "Planet Tsuvva must hold the key to the captain's condition."

* * *

Jim woke up feeling dizzy. His head no longer felt like it was trying to give birth to a rhino but there was still a dull pain. Jim rolled over and realized he wasn't in sickbay. He glanced around the room and only saw a few incense and candles burning on a nearby desk. Jim stood up on wobbly legs and almost immediately fell back down. The ground was unstable and ridiculously soft. He looked down and saw that his feet were sunk into a plush pillow. His lips tugged into a wide grin as he realized he was on a bed and proceeded to jump up and down.

"Cease your actions," came Spock's stern voice. The Vulcan was sitting on the floor in his meditative position as he watched Jim jump around like a 6 year old. The captain briefly wondered how Spock had hidden from him so well but shrugged it off. "You could injure yourself." Jim only laughed and threw himself onto the comforter. "Of course…" Spock continued as he slowly closed his eyes to resume his meditation. "There is always room for you in sickbay, as McCoy stated." Jim immediately stopped jumping and lay still on the comforter, ducking down as if he could hide from Spock.

"Sure, Spock," Jim squeaked. Spock took a deep breath before standing up and went over to the desk and put out the candles and incense. "How long have I been out?" Jim asked in a small voice when he noticed that Spock was not going to call McCoy for a pick-up.

"Approximately 4 hours. You were kept in sickbay until you no longer seemed to be in any pain. I brought you here since you despise the biobeds so much." Spock saw Jim sit up and cross his legs, looking at him curiously. The Vulcan reminded himself that Jim was not a small child and did not find the action 'adorable' in any way.

"For starters, it's not the beds I hate, it's the environment itself." Jim said as he made a face of disgust.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Then perhaps if you did not injure yourself so often, you would spend less time there."

Jim crossed his arms and glared at his First. "Touché," he said simply.

"Indeed." Spock said as he took off his Vulcan robes and pulled on a clean undershirt while Jim's unnoticed eyes roved over his exposed torso. Spock, for all his hard muscle, looked soft to the touch.

"Anything else I need to be made aware of?" Jim asked in a slight daze. Once Spock's shirt covered the final expanse of skin, the spell was broken and the captain was able to resume coherent thoughts.

"Tomorrow I am accompanying a landing party to go planet side," Spock deadpanned. Jim gasped and stood up.

"You can't! Not without me!" Spock turned to give Jim a piercing look.

"You are in no position to make demands. I will be with my science team in search of anything that could help us figure out how your physiology was changed." Jim looked defiant and glared at Spock.

"What are your plans?" Jim said as his fists clenched. "Go back to where I was and dig around? You could end up the same way!"

"My team shall gather plant samples though we shall not travel to your previous location," Spock said coolly. "We've found a site with similar plantation—"

"I'm going with you!"

"Negative."

Jim glared and walked close to the edge of the bed, glaring hard and not letting up easy. "Spock-"

"I will go and resume my shift for the day. If you would like, you can stay here," Spock said in a soft tone though Jim knew that it meant the discussion was over for the time being. The captain sighed as his arms dropped to his sides. He looked up at Spock but the Vulcan was pulling on his uniform shirt.

"Why can't I go back to the bridge?" Jim asked. He didn't feel like being left alone anymore. Spock gave a final tug to the hem of his shirt before turning his attention back to the tiny man. Jim didn't feel like he deserved to be isolated. He was small, not growing fangs or carrying some kind of horrible disease.

"If you insist" Spock returned to the bed and lowered his hand. Once Jim's hand grabbed his index finger to hoist himself up, Spock felt a sudden jolt of anger and disappointment from Jim. Spock did not understand this sudden burden of weight on his person but perhaps it was similar to what his mother had once described as 'guilt'.

* * *

Sitting behind the transporter console as the landing party filtered into the room, Scotty stood at the ready. Two security personnel walked in, followed by three science officers. Scotty nodded at them in greeting as they took their place on the transporter pad. Later Spock and McCoy entered, arguing as usual.

"This is a bad idea, Spock."

"I understand the danger but it is our job to explore the unknown."

"You could be killed! You could even end up like Jim!"

Spock ignored McCoy and went over to stand with the landing party. As Spock stepped onto the platform, his peripheral vision caught movement in one of the officer's pockets. Looking over at the officer in question, Spock approached.

"Ensign Jeffery, what do you have in your pocket?" Spock asked as he looked to the red haired man. The ensign looked down at his pockets, not recalling packing anything other than his communicator and phaser.

"N-nothing, sir," the officer stuttered as Spock got closer. Spock knew this officer was easily intimidated and did his best to appear neutral. Jeffery looked up as Spock stood right next to him, gazing down curiously at his front left pocket.

"Empty your pockets," Spock said. "Gently," he added as an afterthought. The other crew looked at the two men oddly but said nothing.

Feeling rather awkward, Jeff slowly lowered his hands to his pockets and pulled out the right one. When he reached into the left his fingers brushed something _hairy_. His hand immediately jerked back from the touch and he looked down to see Jim sticking his head out, rubbing his messy hair.

"Captain." Spock said. Jim winced and knew that he was in trouble. Jeff's eyes widened. How the hell had Jim got into his pocket? Better yet, how did he _not_ notice?

"Yeah, alright," Jim said, accepting defeat before pushing his upper half out of Jeff's pocket and reaching out as Spock lowered his hand. Once Jim was settled in his hand, Spock took him over to McCoy who was standing by Scotty. With a single brush of his finger over Jim's hair in a brief offer of comfort, Spock handed him over to the doctor. McCoy frowned as the tiny captain was placed in his palm.

"To sickbay?" He asked in an sarcastic tone. A moment of panic passed through Jim before he saw Spock shake his head.

"The bridge will suffice." McCoy rolled his eyes.

"You spoil him," McCoy grumbled bitterly. He was most likely just angry about the whole situation rather than Spock's treatment of their tiny Captain. Spock raised a brow before turning around and taking his place on the pad.

"Mr. Scott," he acknowledged. Scotty gave a curt nod and readied the controls.

Looking over to McCoy and Jim, Spock saw the small man give him a worried look before he turned back to the Scotsman.

"Energize."


End file.
